What is terrorism? Is it true that one person's terrorist is another person's freedom fighter, or can we make ethical distinctions between instances of terrorism? How does terrorism differ from other kinds of violence, for instance the violence of war or domestic violence? How do we distinguish between eco-activism and eco-terrorism, or criminal hacking and cyber-terrorism? How has terrorism shaped history, and how does it form the present?

Reflections of Terrorism,the Colby College Annual Humanities Theme for 2011-2012, is a year-long, campus-wide initiative designed to probe such issues. Our goal is to foster interdisciplinary discussions of forms of terror(ism) and to showcase the multiple levels on which the Colby community addresses this complex topic.

Related Coursework

Spring 2012

This course examines the worldviews and political goals of various forms of radicalism on the "right" and "left" against the background of important political developments in Europe in the last century, such as the Bolshevik revolution, the rise of fascism and Nazism, the emergence of domestic terrorism, the explosion of nationalisms and fundamentalisms, and the collapse of Soviet-style communism. We explore the relevance of the domestic political, economic and social contexts for radical movements as we compare the Weathermen in the United States and the Red Army Faction/Baader-Meinhof Gang in Germany.

"Feeling Theory" foregrounds questions of affect and emotion to examine a broad range of issues, including globalization, terrorism, and radical activism. Throughout, the course examines the lived, felt dimensions of contemporary cultural politics. Students will interrogate feelings as a critical paradigm for assessing sociocultural issues. The class considers how emotions are bound to capitalism and structures of power, and determine under what circumstances feelings can foment cultural change

In this course, we will consider terrorism through the lens of global justice, asking whether just war theory can be applied to terrorism, how terrorism responds to real or perceived instances of global injustice, and how moral theory can be extended beyond the nation state to assess international terrorism.

When a state occupies another state and terrorizes its population, is that terrorism? This course (EN398D) considers international and Anglophone literature written in France during the Second World War and the period of the Nazi occupation, with an eye toward interrogating questions of "national literature," the relationship between literature and forms of political propaganda, and the genre of the memoir and nonfiction as it develops in the 20th century. Authors and artists include Nemirovsky, Zinovieff, Berr, Hemingway, Cocteau, Laval, Beach, and Tartiere; photography of Zucca; films of Arletty; art/music by Breker, Picasso, Reinhardt; additional secondary materials. All works read in English.

This course parses various intersections of politics and violence, of “normal” citizens and violent radicals, of “us” versus “them.” Are there lessons to be learned from such encounters or does our experience of them force us to subscribe to the simplified binary of good and bad? Above all, we will investigate how the theater as a specific form of media and practice offers challenges to the socio-political roles we play in our lives and those we project onto others.

This course examines the creation and proliferation of the metaphor of the body politic in contemporary Peninsular literature and film. Throughout the semester we will devote ourselves to a few key questions: How is a body politic formed? How does it function? Can it get sick, does it age, what is its sex? How does terrorism interact with this body politic, blowing cells apart? We will also consider the historical importance of ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, the Basque separatist organization) and how it has played into specific terrorizing moments in Spain's recent history, from the military coup d'etat of 1981 to the Madrid train bombings of 2004.

Fall 2011

The Reuman Reading Group (PL 277) this semester will be discussing Stephen Nathanson's Terrorism and the Ethics of War. Nathanson discusses the difficulty of defining terrorism, asking whether violent acts must be political, indiscriminate, and aimed at non-combattants to count as terrorism. He argues that understanding terrorism requires us to compare it to the ethics of war; he asks whether some acts of war, for instance the Allied bombing of German cities in World War II, should be classified as terrorist acts. The Reuman Reading Group is a one-credit, non-graded group that meets once a week over dinner.

A study of war and peace, conflict and cooperation, in the global system. Among many other things, we examine the nature and meaning of terrorism, including the competing definitions of this term, the different actors who use it, why they might choose such desperate means, and the consequences of their actions.

This course addresses the events in Quebec that led to the War Measures Act. Course topics will include the emergence of the FLQ (Front de Libération du Québec) and the movement for independence from Canada. Students will examine a series of events known as the October Crisis and the 1970s-era Canadian terrorism.

This course considers major moral theories and their application to contemporary problems. As regards terrorism, students will consider questions such as: what distinct features make terrorism morally wrong? Is terrorism always immoral, or is it justified if employed in a just cause? Must violence be indiscriminate and aimed at noncombattants in order to count as terrorism?

In FR 397, we will question how French-language fiction and film represent, account for, and respond to the forms evil and suffering have taken in the modern world. As relates specifically to terrorism, we will study Xavier Beauvois' recent acclaimed film "Of Gods and Men" and French intellectuals' reactions to 9/11.

In conjunction with the semester-long film series "Terror on Film," this independent study (GM 491) addresses how the representation of terror(ism) in cinema also plays a significant role in mainstream representations of terrorism. In what ways does cinema contribute to discourses of terror that transcend national, political, or ideological boundaries? How does cinema complicate the intersections of violence and politics?

GM 234 is an introduction and exploration of German culture through analysis of German-language cinema from its inception in the 1890s through the post-unified cinema of the present. As part of our discussion of the New German Cinema of the 1960s through 1980s, we compare and analyze Heinrich Böll’s acclaimed narrative The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (1974) with its filmic adaptation by Volker Schlöndorff and Margarethe von Trotta (1975) as exemplary (inter)national reactions to domestic terror as well as state and media control.

Upcoming Reflections of Terrorism Events

No upcoming featured events are currently scheduled. Please check back to view the full list of featured events.

Past Reflections of Terrorism Events

On this day, Colby faculty and staff mark the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 by reading from documents that reflect on these events and the way they have changed our world in the past decade. Our readings include obituaries, presidential addresses, legislation, official statements, news reports, and personal reflections.

Librarian Sara Prahl will introduce the library’s “Guide to Researching Terrorism,” a website that will assist students interested in learning more about defining terrorism, understanding historical instances of terrorism, and differentiating among kinds of terrorism.

In addition to her recent coverage of the Arab Spring, Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson has covered countries sometimes accused of supporting terrorism such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. She is receiving Colby's Lovejoy Award for courageous journalism

After seeing "Weather Underground," the 2003 documentary recounting American domestic terrorism that protested the Vietnam War, choreographer David Dorfman produced a dance piece inspired by the questions the documentary raises. In doing so, he also raises questions about the role of dance in political movement and change.

Journalist and critic Anthony Kaufmann will be show the critically acclaimed film "Better this World," which has won the best documentary prize at the Sarasota and San Francisco International Film Festivals. You can read more about the film at: http://www.pbs.org/pov/betterthisworld/

We often hear politicians express that worry that nuclear weapons will “fall into the hands of terrorists.” What is the status of nuclear weapons? How do state-sponsored threats of nuclear war differ from nuclear terrorism? Jessica Varnum is a Research Associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS). She teaches in the Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies program at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

Want to sit in on a class about domestic terrorism? Here is your chance!

On November 9th, a group of students in Prof Adam Howard's class will present on Bill Ayers'
memoir and Assata Shakur's memoir. During their presentation, they
will provide a summary of the works and then facilitate a discussion
about the factor that race plays in activist work and the consequences
of that work.

You do not need to read either book to participate! Please contact Cyrus Shahan (cshahan) for details.

To have its desired effect, terrorism depends on the uncertainty and trauma its victims face. But other forms of trauma terrorize people as well. Paula Vogel's "The Long Christmas Ride Home" can be seen as an example of how violence can erupt in the seemingly safest of places and how we carry the memory of trauma without us throughout our lives. Please also join Director Todd Coulter, members of the cast, and Carol and John Farrell of Figures of Speech Theater for a post-show discussion after the Saturday performance.

Please join Director and Colby Professor Todd Coulter, Carol and John Farrell of Figures of Speech Theater and the student cast of The Long Christmas Ride Home for a post-show conversation on Saturday, November 12 (beginning approximately 9 p.m.). Learn more about puppetry in contemporary theater and dialogue with the actors about their experiences working with the Farrells on this adventurous production. For more about Figures of Speech,Click Here to watch John and Carol.

The last five years have been among the most violent and tense in parts of China's minority regions since the Cultural Revolution. The Chinese government has increased security measures against what it calls the "three evils" of international terrorism, ethnic splittism, and religious extremism. What's behind the rise of ethnic activism, particularly in Tibet and Xinjiang? Are government policies easing or exacerbating tensions? Is there a peaceful solution to ethnic strife in China or will tensions continue to rise? This talk is part of the China Town Hall series of events.

Want to sit in on a class about international terrorism? Here is a chance!

Terrorism is widely understood in the United States as something Islamic or alien, something irrational or purposeless. All of this is wrong. In this talk, Professor Hatch looks at the history of this practice, considers the contested definitions and images used to frame it, and tries to explain its strategic logic.

Professor Rodman's December 5 class will examine US detention and interrogation policies in Guantanamo and Iraq in light of the Geneva Conventions and the Convention against Torture and address the question of whether these practices violate international law or are defensible given the "different kind of war" the US is waging against Al Qaeda

One of the reasons the United States has stayed outside of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is because many of its counter-terrorism practices are controversial in terms of international law. Professor Rodman's December 7 class will consist of a student-run simulated hearing before the International Criminal Court as to whether the prosecutor should initiate an investigation of the high-level US government officials for torture and abusive behavior at Abu Ghraib prison

As our society struggles with how to detain and punish terrorists, what psychological factors are at play? How do punishers understand their role, and how does it affect their conception of their own moral standing? Gabrielle Adams will address the topic of punishment and deviance generally in this Psychology Department Colloquium lecture.

This roundtable brings together five Colby professors to talk about how terrorism is conceptualized from within their disciplines: Jennifer Yoder (Government), Walter Hatch (Government), Margaret McFadden (American Studies), Elena Monastireva-Ansdell (German and Russian) and Lydia Moland (Philosophy).

Photojournalist Andrea Bruce has documented the horrors of political violence in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq. She will present her work and speak about the experience of being a photojournalist in parts of the world disrupted by terrorism.

Throughout his career, Harold Koh has dealt with matters of international law relevant to terrorism. In his current capacity as the Obama administration's Legal Adviser to the Department of State, Koh has argued for the legality of drone strikes within Pakistan and Yemen as part of the United States' war on terror.

How do language and feeling shape terrorism? How in turn are they shaped by terrorism? What defines bioterrorism? What differentiates eco-activism from eco-terrorism? What role do nuclear weapons play in global terrorist threats? In this roundtable, five Colby faculty will share their perspectives on these questions: Keith Peterson (Philosophy), Charles Conover (Physics), Hollis Griffin (WGSS), Arthur Greenspan (French & Italian) and Susan Childers (Biology).

On March 15, 27, 29 and April 3, Professor Moland's PL 311 will read chapters of the anthology Terrorism and Justice. Topics include terrorism as a response to political powerlessness, collective responsibility for terrorism, and state terrorism. All classes take place from 2:30-3:45.

Colby's Model United Nations Club is organizing a simulation with the following description: A catastrophic accident creates a chain of unfolding events. A pathogen is released in a metropolitan area in Europe, causing both disease and panic on a large scale. In a short period of time, healthcare and government officials must deal with both of these aspects of the situation and monitor the progress of their efforts. Participants will take on the role of these professionals and work together to resolve the crisis.

It is well established that United States authorities have systematically used music and sound as elements of detention and interrogation practices so harsh as to have been defined by some as psychological torture aimed at destroying prisoners' subjectivities. This talk, by Suzanne Cusick, Professor of Music at New York University, draws on first person accounts of former prisoners to explore how "the music program" in many detention centers constitutes a form of violence that causes great psychological harm to detainees and does indeed constitute a form of torture.

How is one to differentiate terrorism from a lust for violence? How does the so-called "common man" react to extremism?

Max Frisch's drama The Firebugs (Biedermann und die Brandstifter) can be read as a critique of political power-grabbing through media hysteria, a warning to the masses from being duped into paranoia, or a parable for the public's complicity in violent ideologies. Join GM298 for a discussion in English on April 5th or 10th at 1PM.

The fact that Osama bin Laden's code name was Geronimo indicates that Native Americans are sometimes still associated with terrorism and violent resistance. What is the history of Native American resistance to European and then American expansion? In her talk, historian Pauleena MacDougall will speak on the many and mostly nonviolent ways the Penobscot Nation in Maine has resisted oppression and assimilation and remained a thriving community in the 21st Century.

In a joint meeting of TD 281, Directing, and TD258, Improvisational Practices in Dance, theater and dance faculty Todd Coulter and Annie Kloppenberg will lead a discussion of two chapters in director Anne Bogart's A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Art and Theater. In these chapters, Bogart turns violence and terror into sensations, allies, and strategies for entering into a creative process; she is not talking about work whose content addresses either violence or terror, but rather extrapolating from those useful notions to help explain the complexities of a creative research process.

Visitors from outside the class are invited but MUST reply to amkloppe@colby.edu by Friday, April 13 to secure a spot in the discussion and obtain the reading.

In Professor Allbritton's class, students will read and discuss two short plays that emerged in the aftermath of Madrid's 2004 train bombings. These bombings, initially blamed on ETA and only later revealed to be the work of al-Qaeda terrorist cells living in Spain, brought about an incredible sea change in the country's politics. Together we will analyze these plays and how they begin to represent the social change brought forth from the dark shadows of terrorism.

Incoming Colby students were still children on September 11, 2001. What was their understanding of the deaths that occurred on that date? What psychological impact did understanding death in that context have on their development? Professor Karl Rosengren will talk generally about children's grappling with death; the audience is invited to relate his comments to our understanding of terrorism's role in the psychological development of this generation.